Winter Things to Do Near Joseph Oregon and Wallowa Lake Include Tunesmith Night

People are always wondering whether there’s anything to do out here in the Eastern Oregon winter besides enjoy downhill skiing, backcountry skiing, ice skating, snowshoeing and other classic wintertime outdoor activities. Nothing wrong with any of them, but what do you do once it’s time to come in at dark?

How about intimate music experiences? Every second Saturday of the month throughout the winter season, the Wallowa Valley Music Alliance hosts Tunesmith Night, a showcase of original music in a warm, friendly environment. The venue is something between a club and a small restaurant with booths and tables facing towards the stage area where the performers set up with their gear. Each month, three different singer songwriters are invited to share their original music with a willing audience at Lear’s Main Street Grill in Enterprise. The format is a round-robin sort of thing–each musician performs one piece, then the next performer has a turn, etc. After a couple of rounds, there’s an intermission, then the whole thing repeats for the second round. Each performer brings their own style, voice and instruments–it’s almost like a concert sampler. As one Tunesmith attendee noted, “It was a blast! Great music!”

So, who might you see performing at Tunesmith Night? They’re not necessarily just local Wallowa County musicians as Tunesmith Night is a sought after opportunity in the Pacific Northwest singer songwriter community. Last night’s Tunesmith Night performers were Heidi Muller, MidLo and Gregory Rawlins. The performers scheduled for the rest of the 2013-2014 season are:

Last night we hosted a LaGrande couple here at our Joseph Oregon lodging. They drove the wintry 90 minutes to the Bronze Antler Bed and Breakfast knowing that they could enjoy Tunesmith Night, have a great night’s stay only 10 minutes away in one of our cozy guestrooms, and have a leisurely, delicious breakfast the next morning before ambling their way up the road for the short drive home. How’s that for a quickie Eastern Oregon vacation?